Dawn of Eve - MJ Howson (read full novel .txt) 📗

Dawn went to the closet and began to comb through the drawers, rifling through a seemingly endless supply of white, black, and gray paints. After a bit of searching, Dawn found a crinkled tube labeled WINSOR BLUE. She opened the cap, only to discover the contents had dried out over time. Dawn laughed and tossed it aside. “I guess I need some new paint.”

Dawn looked at Eve and smiled. “We can go together. Maybe.. . . . maybe Jacob could join us.” Dawn bit her upper lip and frowned. “Oh wait, he’s got clients all day today. Again.”

Dawn flopped on the cold polished concrete floor beside Eve and stared into the doll’s sapphire blue eyes. Dawn said, “I wish he’d just give it all up, you know? Why does he keep such a busy schedule? We had such a great two days together. But now I have this feeling he’s going to be working non-stop all week. Again.”

The chilly floor made Dawn’s legs and feet throb. She pulled herself up and walked over to the wall of windows. The view across the Hudson looked stunning as the rising sun cast a warm orange glow across the skyline. She said, “And is it my imagination, or are his clients more important than me?” Dawn pressed her head against the glass and sighed. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

Don’t trust him.

The faint, echoing voice was identical to the one she’d heard upstairs. Dawn turned and looked back into the room. Jazz music wafted down from the overhead speakers. She looked up and then let her eyes wander across the paintings. Her eyes finally settled on Eve, sitting in the wooden chair.

“Who . . . who said that?” Dawn asked.

Dawn slowly crossed the floor until she got to Eve. The doll’s eyes sparkled in the early morning light. As Dawn knelt down beside the chair, she said, “I must be hearing things.” She picked Eve up and held the doll close to her face. Dawn bit her upper lip and asked, “Right, Eve?”

Twenty One

Breaking Through

Dawn inspected the red and blue flecks of paint on her fingertips. Two easels stood in the middle of her studio, displaying her latest half-finished works of art. Using white four-by-four canvases, both were variations of the painting she’d started earlier, but with a twist. The twin hills now had a third hump, wedged in the middle. Dawn wasn’t sure if it was another hill, the sun, or the moon. One painting was red, the other blue.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s getting there,” Dawn said.

Eve sat in the wooden folding chair against the wall, the doll’s porcelain white face glowing beneath the overhead lights. Dawn glanced at the wall of windows, taking in the nighttime skyline across the Hudson. She yawned and stretched her arms. Dawn looked at Eve and said, “I think that’s enough for today.”

Dawn scooped Eve into her arms and left the room. The flames beneath the glass crystals in the living room fireplace crackled softly. Dawn placed Eve on the loveseat and went to the wine fridge in the kitchen. She opened the door and grabbed the nearest bottle of white wine. Dawn briefly studied the label and then gently placed the bottle back inside. She selected a bottle of merlot instead.

“A pop of color, right, Eve?” Dawn opened the bottle, poured a glass for herself, and went back to the loveseat. She put her arm around Eve and stared at the twinkling fireplace. Dawn took a sip of wine and smiled. “This was a good day.”

Rarely a fan of red wine, Dawn found herself enjoying the deep dry berry taste of the merlot. The soothing saxophone of David Sanborn’s Everything Must Change wafted from the overhead speakers. She brought Eve up to the nursery and slid the doll beneath the blanket. Dawn whispered, “Get some rest. I’ll be back later.”

Dawn flicked on the nightlight. Soon, the walls and ceiling were awash in red and blue ribbons and stars. Eve’s eyes snapped closed. Dawn left, closing the door behind her, and went back downstairs.

With Eve tucked away, Dawn spent some time cleaning the kitchen from her dinner earlier. When done, she grabbed the latest copy of Vogue and collapsed by the fireplace, enjoying the wine and music. She exchanged a few brief messages with Jacob, who, unsurprisingly, couldn’t come over. By the end of the night, she’d consumed three-quarters of the bottle of merlot. Dawn left the dirty glass beside the sink and filled a goblet with water.

As Dawn ascended the spiral staircase, she said, “Evelyn, secure the apartment.”

“Securing the apartment.”

Dawn stopped on the second floor and opened the door to the nursery. The spiral of red and blue stars caused her to smile. She tip-toed to the cradle in the middle of the room, enjoying the scent from the lavender gel beads. Eve was tucked beneath the white cotton blanket. Dawn gently picked the doll up and cradled it in her arms.

Leaving the projector light running, she left and carried Eve upstairs to the owner’s suite. She placed the doll on the bed so that Eve faced the bathroom door. Eve’s eyes snapped open.

Dawn gave Eve a peck on the cheek and dove beneath her bed to get the wooden box with her fertility pills. She tossed the box on the corner of the bed and carried the pill bottle into the bathroom.

Dawn spent some time scrubbing her hands to remove a few remaining bits of paint. As she stared at her reflection, Dawn realized she’d forgotten to make an appointment to have her hair colored. She smiled as she ran her fingers through her dark roots.

The pills prescribed by Dr. Cole were beside the sink. She sighed, and her smile faded. Dawn washed each one down, followed by her fertility pill. She ignored the sapphire pendant from Jacob, sparkling beside the mirror.

Dawn went to her wardrobe closet and grabbed a pair of black silk